Abstract
-
The on-demand printing of living cells using inkjet
technologies has recently been demonstrated and allows for the controlled
deposition of cells in microarrays. Here, we show that such arrays can be
interrogated directly by robot-controlled liquid microextraction coupled with
chip-based nanoelectospray mass spectrometry. Such automated analyses
generate a profile of abundant membrane lipids that are characteristic of cell
type. Significantly, the spatial control in both deposition and extraction steps
combined with the sensitivity of the mass spectrometric detection allows for
robust molecular profiling of individual cells.